We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kylie Koeppen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kylie below.

Hi Kylie, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Well I started as gymnast, but somewhere during those years I realized I really only enjoyed the performance aspect of it. Dancing on beam and floor were the only things that interested me. Obviously, I loved to tumble but the dancing and creating a routine is what made me fall in love. I knew it was what I wanted to do when it was only in dance that I felt calm and also full of life.

Kylie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started as a gymnast, but even though I stuck with it for 11 years at some point I realized I loved dancing and feeling some freedom in movement. We had to take some dance every week at my gym at those were some of the parts that I really looked forward to. I loved taking dance, I loved that I could enjoy something like that. As I got older, I realized that it was all I wanted to do for the rest of my life no matter what it took. I started auditing for big companies and taking as many classes as I possibly could, wherever I could. Nowadays, I teach, create, and perform. I love choreography and I want to get more work within the creative process of dance as well as the performance aspect. I also love that dance opens up a community of artists who truly love their craft and want to work together fro something awesome.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was the chase for perfection. Obviously, we all know nobody is perfect, but yet we are all so driven to be perfection. Chasing something that isn’t even real will just drive you to burnout (which I struggled with a lot) and make you question your why and who you are. It is just all around no that greatI think it is always good to chase progress for yourself, but working yourself into nothingness is not the route to success. Everyone’s success looks different, so don’t compare it to anyone else’s.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect is that even though being an artist or creative can be difficult, at least I am doing what I love all day everyday. Yes, it has its ups and downs, but 10 year old me dreamed of being where I am now. It is just nice to recognize how far I have come and truly enjoy the effort, hard work, time, resilience etc that has gone into my journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kyliekoeppen
• Email: kyliekoeppen@gmail.com

Image Credits
Michelle Reid